Crooked Still, The Egg, 10/19/08

ALBANY— Boston-based bluegrass /folk/something-brand-new band Crooked Still came to The Egg to prove there are still so many possibilities left in acoustic music.
Over the years, many bands such as J.D. Crowe and the New South, New Grass Revival and Alison Krauss have tried to push the boundaries. What makes Crooked Still so different is the copious use of the cello, which brings a evocative texture to the entire proceedings. That, and the haunting, ethereal voice of Aoife O’Donovan.
O’Donovan, along with Tristan Clarridge (cello), Corey DiMario (bass), Greg Liszt (banjo) and Brittany Haas (fiddle) kicked things off with “Dig A Hole,” but it didn’t reach its potential because of feedback issues (which were attributed to the ghost of John Hartford) and led to a quick mike change.
“Undone in Sorrow” was done right, its soft last verse deadly, as was barefoot Brittany Haas’ frisky fiddle and Clarridge’s meaty cello solo.
The brisk “When First Unto This Country” fell into Robert Johnson’s “Last Fair Deal Gone Down,” which was brilliant, dark and delicious in ways that you’ve never thought the blues could be, courtesy of the cello, fiddle and banjo juxtaposed with O’Donovan’s airy whisper.
The sad “Captain, Captain” was about a women who lost her lover to war, “Did You Sleep Well?” held a wicked solo by Haas, the Haas/O’Donovan composition “Oh, Agamemnon” sounded old and new at the same time, while the banjo’s sharp, percussive accents lifted Gillian Welch’s “Orphan Girl” up.
A demanding “The Absentee” (about skipping Sunday school) sported a driving banjo solo, “Tell Her To Come Back Home” found the cello and fiddle spinning layered, swirling melody lines under O’Donovan’s heartfelt vocal. The delicate “Wind and Rain” came with a sing-along, a moving highlight, as was Mississippi John Hurt’s “Baby, What’s Wrong With You?”
With it’s mournful cello and bubbling banjo “Ain’t No Grave” was spooky and eerie, so it’s no surprise the song was snapped up by HBO series “True Blood” for the closing credits.
All the elements came together for the impressive, powerful “Hop High.”
O’Donovan’s pure, pipes couldn’t go wrong, and the young instrumentalists all had chops and personality.
The traditional and public domain tunes are a given for this type of band, where it took a sharp left turn and veered off, was when they delved into old Delta blues, and blues with a mournful cello is simply a beautiful thing.
Timeless and true, Crooked Still could just be the future of folk, bluegrass or something of which there is yet no name. Don’t miss them next time through.
David Malachowski is a local freelance writer from Woodstock and a regular contributor to the Times Union.

4 Responses

This is a developing band that needs a lot of work. While I agree that the group had an interesting take on acoustic music, the singer was limited in range, and further limited by being swallowed up in the mix (feedback problems aside). It was curious that a group inspired by bluegrass did not engage in any vocal harmony at all, and almost no guitar playing. While not a bad show, one fifty minute set was plenty, and several elavators full of people joined us as we headed to the parking lot at intermission.

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